The Month of May
by Lli
Summary: Though there's not much plot in evidence, it's an honest to goodness multi-chapter Jolliet. Set after TLC & totally disregarding TTP. After a gag gift from Foaly, Holly goes in search of Juliet, who is still mind wiped. Not as non-sequiturial as it sounds
1. May 8th

Definitely contains more Mature Subject Matter than my other stuff, so please, don't read it if this makes you uncomfortable.

On the other hand, I'm pretty fond of it, even though it just sort of hit me out of the blue. Enjoy! Lli

* * *

May 8th, Mexico City

The streets are chaotic, the smells nearly overpowering her sensitive nose. Women cry from window to window, men holler at each other over the chatter and clang of impossibly decrepit mopeds, and children shriek, still playing despite the late hour. And yet, as she walks along, she feels surprisingly at ease, no one looks twice at a diminutive woman with dark skin and sharp features here. She wears a scarf over her hair and ears.

She pauses in front of an old colonial apartment building, checking the number scrawled on the door against the one scrawled, equally illegibly, on the back of her hand. 10-4, Captain, we have a match. Anxiously, she tilts her head back, scanning the windows above. The far left on the third floor is wide open and its light is still on, she can see the little sun catchers glint and rattle on their pegs along its frame.

With a relieved woosh of breath, she steps back into the shadows to wait. It doesn't take long.

A woman, at whom many do look twice here, steps out into the street. Her long blonde hair is up in an artfully messy bun and she wears tight clothing, though not much of it, unafraid to let the world admire just how fit her lithe little body really is.

Now comes the tough part. Or, at least it would be, if Holly was an ordinary human. Even so, she knows enough about Butlers to follow Juliet at a distance, invisible or not.

Juliet is in no hurry, but she walks purposefully, letting potential pickpockets, attracted by her flashy gringa looks, know that she isn't some lost tourist. It's her version of community service, saving the criminal element from innumerable broken fingers, if not worse. Not that it always works.

But tonight her walk passes without incident and she turns a corner, hopping down the steps into a courtyard bounded on all sides by blaring night clubs. The cobblestones tremble, the whole space thumping like the heartbeat of some otherworldly giant. Unlike Holly, Juliet doesn't hesitate at the foot of the stairs but crosses directly into what Holly supposes to be her favourite.

The next night they do it again. And then again. Slowly, Holly is psyching herself up.


	2. May 10th

May 10th, Mexico City

Showtime.

Standing at the top of the steps, Holly fizzes back into the visible spectrum and, patting down her mudman clothing to make sure none of it dissolved during the walk, follows Juliet into what she now knows to be her favourite.

Inside, the smell of human sweat, anxiety and arousal nearly makes her retch. She has to steady herself against the door frame before, taking one last breath of the vaguely cleaner night air, she forges ahead. And nearly walks right into Juliet who is digging through her pockets for change.

'Shit,' she mutters, audible only to Holly, 'don't tell me I forgot my effing wallet. Goddamn it...'

'How much do you need?' Holly licks her lips, nearly retching again from pure nerves.

Juliet looks up, into her mismatched eyes. She stares at Holly for so long the woman at the door begins to mutter.

Holly is wishing with every fibre of her tiny being. But whether it's for Juliet to remember or to keep on forgetting, she isn't sure.

'I- uh, thanks. That's really great. You speak English? Wow. What a coincidence. I really appreciate this. Uh, it's veinte, er twenty,' she gives Holly a lopsided smile, mocking her own stutters.

'S'ok, I speak Spanish too.' Holly hands the woman the money, now unable to decide whether she is happy or sad to still be a stranger.

'So! Where are you from? I've never seen you here before. This place is mostly expats, so the crowd gets pretty recognisable. Speaking of which, how did you even find this place? I don't think it's in any of the guidebooks,' Juliet pitches her voice over the music as she and Holly wind through the crowd of women.

'Uh, I heard about it from a friend. I'm from down under,' Holly has always preferred the misconception of that term to an outright lie, 'I'm thinking of renting a place here. I travel a lot for work though, so.'

Juliet nods in understanding, 'Join the club, girl.'

'Oh yeah? What do you do?' Holly feigns ignorance, as though she has never watched pirated copies of Juliet's wrestling matches off of sketchy human websites late into the night.

The other woman laughs self consciously, 'I'm a wrestler, actually. I tour with a troupe, we just got back from Honduras, actually. What about you?'

Holly hates to lie. 'Ah, I'm in law enforcement, basically... can't really say too much, but that's the gist of it.'

Juliet nods in perfect understanding. Not talking about one's occupation is something she and her family understand very well, after all. 'Cool. Do you do hands on stuff? Fight at all?'

Holly nods, 'Yeah, I do, actually. Not much of a wrestler, more martial arts. Though, I am an excellent shot,' her natural self-confidence is slowly coming back and she gives Juliet a smart little smile, 'if I do say so myself.'

Juliet laughs, 'You're right up my alley - er, sorry, what did you say your name was?'

She takes a deep breath, 'Holly.'

Juliet only smiles. 'That's pretty. Juliet,' she holds her hand out to shake.

Holly slips her fingers into hers. 'Pleased to meet you,' she tries to ignore the little piece of her heart that is falling to dust, crying for Juliet to remember.

'Can I buy you a drink, Holly? Oh no, wait. Well, come back again, and I'll buy you a drink, ok?' Juliet laughs. 'I can, however, offer you a dance. You wanna?' She's still holding Holly's hand.

Holly nods, silent. Maybe, if she's very quiet, Juliet will forget those extra digits and just keep on holding her hand forever. Might be difficult to explain to everyone back home, but Holly is ok with that.

In her extensive, nearly fanatical, planning, she'd even accounted for the height difference. And, with Juliet in flats and her in dangerous heels, it's even better than she had, in miserable, nervous day dreams, feared. The pain in her feet is worth it, and that near death experience earlier in the afternoon with an unruly curb is nearly forgotten. Thank Frond, Juliet hasn't taken after her great, hulking brother.

_And just what would Butler think of me now?_ Holly wonders.

They had started out at arms' length, Juliet playful and smiling wide. Holly remembers that. What she doesn't remember is how they got from there to her stomach being bracketed by Juliet's hipbones, thighs moving back only when Juliets' pressed forward. Her arms and hands were who knows where, but the skin they were touching, wherever it was, was smooth and slick with sweat.

Holly closes her eyes and lets her head be cradled on Juliet's breast bone. Her hands tighten involuntarily, desperate not to lose anymore of this girl than she already has. Simply thinking of how long they have been apart makes her ache with loss, even as Juliet leans towards her, kissing the corner of Holly's anticipatory smile.


	3. May 1st

May 1st, The Haven

Foaly gave her the movies as a joke, that's how it all started.

'He-ey there Capitano, I've got a surprise for you.'

'Astound me Foaly,' Holly rolls her eyes as she slips into the chair beside him, 'What is it? A new deep space probe? A surveillance system Artemis'll never be able to hack? Inquiring minds are dying to know.'

'You don't need to be facetious. Don't worry, I won't be confounding your tiny mind with my brilliance today. This is something much more mundane,' he flips her a CD case.

'CDs? Wait, no, DVDs. Is this a joke? I don't even think I have a player for something this antique,' Holly spins one on her finger.

Foaly huffs, '_Not_ my fault. Those are the originals. Don't worry, I transferred the movies onto a plugger.'

'Pluggers' was LEPese for Foaly's ultra refined version of a flash drive. Really, there was no comparison, but for the sake of explanation.

'Tell me what you think, when you've done watching them,' Foaly gives her what he believes to be a mischievous wink, but it only makes him look twitchy.

Holly laughs, mystified, 'Ok. Will do. Uh, thanks, I guess.'

Foaly just smiles. It's his unusual caginess that Holly finds more mystifying than anything else.

Curled up on her futon at the end of the day, she props her laptop plasma screen on her knees, sliding in the plugger. Whatever she had been expecting, it hadn't been this.

Juliet is wearing tights and a mask and somehow still managing to look stunning. Her hair is back in her trademark braid, jade ring swinging from the tip. Her opponents are huge men who don't look nearly as good in their costumes and always end up lying, stunned, on the mat. Spectators scream and wave and excited Latino men shout into microphones, riling up the crowd.

Holly watches all the clips in succession and, when are they done, she goes back and watches them again. Then she goes and looks her up on the internet.

Juliet.

It's been months. Years, for Juliet. Holly hiccups quietly, tracing her fingers along the contours of the face she has blown up to fill the screen. She'd nearly forgotten.

* * *

Foaly is still smiling when she comes back the next day, knowing he's surprised her.

'How did you like 'em?'

'They were great. She's really good isn't she?'

'Seems like. But then again, she is a Butler. Poor suckers probably didn't even know what hit them.'

'Yeah,' Holly drags her fingers along the surface of his desk. 'Doesn't seem so impulsive anymore, either. She's pretty grown up.'

'Sure thing,' Foaly snickers, 'Pretty pretty too, for a mud girl, wonder what dear Arty thinks of _that._'

Holly's face freezes, jealousy flaring suddenly behind her eyes. But Foaly is tapping away at something on his screen and doesn't notice.

'Who knows,' she manages at last. She clears her throat, running a hand over her uniform, 'I don't suppose you know where she's living these days, do you? Somewhere in South America isn't it?

Foaly gives her a sharp look, 'She's been wiped, you remember that don't you? She's a_ human_, you do-'

'Frond, Foaly, I'm only curious! But, I mean, if you don't know, I'll understand. Don't worry, I won't tell,' she winks, goading him on.

Works everytime. Gaping incredulously, Foaly sputters, 'I _know_ where she lives. Somewhere in South America! Ha! I can give you her room number and everything. Don't make me _laugh,_ Holly.'

'Oh yeah? Can you really?' She puts a hand on her hip, raising a sceptical eyebrow.

He whinnies indignantly and grabs a nearby booklet, tearing out a page and scribbling out an address, 'Go see for yourself, ye of little faith: Trouble's looking for someone to do a maintenance check on the station in Yucatán.' He shakes his head, 'Do I know where she lives...'

Holly nods along, trying not smile.


	4. May 10th & 11th

You may have noticed, I'm having fun with the timeline, hopefully it won't get too confusing. This is the chapter that makes the rating skyrocket.

* * *

May 10th – May 11th, Mexico City

'I've got to go,' Holly breaks away, missing the feel of her already. But don't be stupid, she's human, human, human.

Juliet frowns, uncomprehending, 'What? Why?'

'I...' _I'm a different species? This is so taboo it's not even funny? I-_ But nothing she can think of is worth more than the woman before her. She blinks, astounded, then laughs in the glory of her revelation, 'Ha, actually, no. I don't need to go. There was something, but, you know, it's really just not that important anymore.'

Juliet gives her a quizzical look, but laughs, 'If you say so, Holly.'

Holly steps towards her again, sure now, 'I do.'

They make love that night on Juliet's enormous futon. Holly feels like a fish in a sea of white cotton, their bodies slip along each other, rolling through the fabric like water. No matter where her mouth is, Juliet's hair stays wrapped around her lover, glimmering and flickering like kelp in the dark. Her tongue in Holly's mouth is a hook and Holly arches back, desperate to be caught. She clings to Juliet, her nails making imprints like scales along her back. Their limbs knot into an impossible tail, unwilling to let even air come between their skin, as it slides together and apart, so slick and sweat-slippery.

After, Juliet sleeps, her head resting on Holly's stomach. Absentmindedly, the elf runs Juliet's damp hair between her fingers, working through the tangles. While her fingers are busy, her eyes follow the cracks in the ceiling, and Holly smiles in wonder: all the planning and the worry and Juliet hadn't thought twice before taking her home. Then she pauses, frowning. Did Juliet make a habit of this? Was she just another girl in a long line of girls? She groans mentally. Can't she have even a minute of contentment? Just one single minute?

Juliet raises her head, smiling groggily with sleep, and rests her chin on Holly's ribs, 'Where are you staying?'

'A bed-and-breakfast kinda deal. It's just a few blocks away,' Holly had taken the room that night, before going in search of Juliet, to give herself credibility.

Juliet kissed her between her breasts, 'I'm in town for a while, I dunno what you're schedule's like, but, I mean, it's always nice to have company... if you were interested that is. I don't wanna jump the gun, I'm just saying, you know.'

_Ha __**ha**_, thinks Holly, contemplating just how many minutes of contentment one can fit into twenty days. She makes a note to ask Artemis how many minutes there are in a day. 'That would be,' she pauses, considering, 'perfect, really.'

Juliet dimples and lays her head back down, nestling into Holly's body. Holly marvels at the resemblance between her and a baby animal, she is so gentle for a girl capable of killing you with her little finger.


	5. May 18th

May 18th, Mexico City

She begins to get messages: where are you? What are you doing? How's your vacation going? Why haven't you answered my calls? Trouble, Foaly, even Artemis. She doesn't waste time responding, there are more important things to do now. It's not like they won't see her when she gets back.

Mulch sends her only one. It says: Don't do anything I wouldn't do.


	6. May 6th

May 6th, The Haven

Mulch comes over for dinner on the night she's hopping the flare to Yucatán.

'Little bird told me our favourite mud girl's living in Mexico these days,' he munches contemplatively on a celery stalk, 'I'd sure love to see that kid again. Really knew how to insult a guy.'

'She sure did,' Holly twiddles with a carrot stick.

'As I recall, you two were quite two little peas in a pod.'

'Hardly, we fought like cats and dogs.'

'True. But, you know, I find that some people are always the most aggressive with the people they love most. Julius was like that. Could barely say a civil word when I was in the room. It was sweet, really.'

Holly snorts half her fizzy lotus juice onto the table cloth.

Mulch eyes the mess with disdain, 'No need to be rude. _Jeez._'

'Sorry Mulch, dunno _what_ came over me,' she smirks at him. He lobs his celery at her.

As they stand in the hall, putting on their coats, Mulch turns to her and, patting her cheek, he says, 'Just think about what I said, alright, Holly?'

'Mulch...' she pauses, as though saying it aloud will make it even more of a problem than it is, 'she's a... well, she's...'

'Yeah, tell me about it. Julius was the Commander of the LEP.' Mulch steps out into the street, 'What can I say, Captain? Do we know how to pick 'em, or do we know how to pick 'em?'

'We know how to pick 'em.'

'Atta girl, chin up. That's the spirit.' He fiddles with his coat buttons, 'And let's face it, you never know when they might up and die on you, so carpe diem and all that.'

'Mulch-'

'See you when you get back, hey, girly? End of the month, right?' he waves, sauntering off into the Haven's sim-gloom.

Holly watches his back until it disappears, wondering what else she doesn't know about Mulch Diggums.


	7. May 20th to 23rd

Seriously guys, reviewing is good for the soul. Even unhappy ones.

* * *

May 20th – May 23rd, Mexico City

Sometimes, they fight each other, bodies weaving and flitting, their shadows moving faster and faster through the rainbows on the wall. It's a question of who will give in first. Their bodies come together and move apart, their kicks and punches ending impossibly close to the other's skin, but never quite touching. Their bodies come together and move apart, and every time the separation is harder, every time it is a little bit slower. In the end one will attack and the other defend, and the attacker will give in and the defender will take them in their arms and they'll fall to the ground, laughing and breathless.


	8. May 12th

They are, after all, a bit noticeable.

* * *

May 12th, Mexico City

'Has anyone ever told you you have the best ears?' Juliet is playing with the tips of Holly's as she says this.

'Er... no, actually,' Holly can feel sweat bead along her hair line, how is she going to explain _this_ one?

'Huh. Well, you do. Is it some kind of crazy family trait?'

'Yeah, something like that,' Holly moves forward and Juliet forgets about her ears.


	9. May 25th

May 25th, Mexico City

Holly sits on the kitchen table, swinging her legs, 'Juliet... I'm, well, I've got to leave soon. Work...' miserable, she lets the sentence drift.

Juliet nods, 'I was wondering when you'd have to go.'

'But, I mean, it's not like I won't be around. If... if I come back, would you like me to...?'

'Yes,' Juliet says simply.

'Ok,' Holly smiles, quick and bright like a fish against her dark skin.


	10. May 24th

Even when I'm writing Jolliets I just like Artemis and Holly together too much not to put him in too. I'd forgotten how much fun it is to have them just banter...Though, this is definitely kind!Artemis.

* * *

May 24th, Mexico City

Holly's communicator is buzzing. She reaches for it, groaning, 'Shut up, you stupid... ngh...' But instinct kicks in and she answers with a terse, 'Yes?'

'Good afternoon to you too, Captain Short.'

'Art-' Holly catches herself in time, but Juliet is still asleep. 'I'm a bit busy right now, what do you need?' she lowers her voice and, heedless of her nakedness, slips of the bed and pads into the kitchen.

'I believe it was you who said we never simply got to 'hang out'.'

Holly can almost hear the quotation marks. 'Oh Arty, yeah, no, I know, but now's not the best-' she sighs, feeling a little guilty.

'Where are you?'

'El D.F.'

'Pardon?'

'Er, sorry, Mexico City.'

'Mmm.'

'What do you mean 'mmm'? Why are you _really_ calling?' suspicion, never far off when he calls, begins to rise. No matter how much she cares for him, he is still a sneaky pain in the ass.

'You weren't answering your emails. I talked to Foaly, and he hadn't heard from you either. We were worried,' Artemis sounds nearly petulant, his tone is so defensive, and she's touched, despite herself.

'Sorry, I've just been a bit preoccupied.'

'Really.'

'Yes, really, Mother.'

'No need to be snarky, Holly.' Artemis chuckles, 'Foaly told me about those wrestling movies he made up for you.'

'What?' Holly tries to sound vague, 'Oh yeah, right. They were really nice. Gosh, she sure is grown up these days, isn't she?'

'Yes, quite lovely, isn't she? Though, I can't say I find the costumes particularily attractive,' there is a mocking lilt in his voice that keeps her jealousy at bay and she remembers then that Artemis isn't Foaly. She has a sneaking suspicion that she's been found out.

'So it seems,' is all she says.

'And living in Mexico City, what a coincidence, you should look her up. Foaly said he gave you her address as well.'

She shakes her head in appreciation of his perspicacity, chuckling quietly, 'Artemis, look, I-'

'Sorry, Holly, Mother's calling, must dash. But you will ring me when you manage to extricate yourself, won't you?'

'Yeah, of course, I'll-' but the line goes dead. She gives the communicator one last, thoughtful, look and returns to bed.

'Who was that?' Juliet welcomes her back with open arms.

'Nobody, just a friend, checking up,' Holly stretches out along her, 'Nothing to worry about.'


	11. May 30th

And my little baby's done. Hope you enjoyed it! If you want, you could even tell me how much you enjoyed it, or didn't. Either way, that'd be cool (deadpanning)

* * *

May 30th, Mexico City

Holly is sitting on the bed, pulling on her boots, preparing to go. Juliet leans against the windows, watching her.

'Won't you need your wings?' she asks at last, as Holly stands.

'Wi-what?' Holly does a double take that makes Juliet grin.

'I remember you, Holly Short. I knew I'd known you before,' she runs a finger down Holly's cheek, laughing, 'I can't believe you pulled that 'other life' bullshit on me.'

Holly grabs her by her hair and kisses her, unable to think for joy.

'But..._how_?' she asks, letting go at last, 'When? _This whole time?_'

Juliet gives a lopsided smile, 'No, this morning. Artemis emailed me an absolutely massive file. Took _ages _to come in, he always forgets my connection is way slower than his.'

At that moment, Holly would have kissed Artemis too, had he been there.

'Did you come all this way just to find me?' Juliet's tracing the tip of her pointed ear.

Holly nods.

'And will you really come back? I mean, can you...?'

Holly shrugs, 'I will if you want me to.'

There is so much more to it than that and they both know it, and are both just as willing to disregard it. Juliet wraps her arms around Holly's slight body, pulling her onto her hips. When they are face to face, she smiles, 'I do.'

Finis.


End file.
